Grandfather of Late Guatemalan Girl Says Family Is Indebted to Human Smugglers

AP Photo/Oliver de RosILDEFONSO ORTIZ AND BRANDON DARBY16 Dec 2018

The grandfather of the little girl from Guatemala who died after crossing the border in New Mexico and being detained with her father and 161 other migrants says the family owes money to human smugglers.

The relatives of a young Guatemalan girl not only have to deal with the pain of burying their loved one, they must still pay the ruthless human smuggling organization that took them from their home country to the U.S. The family in Guatemala remains hopeful that the father of seven-year-old Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin will be allowed to stay in the U.S. where he could find work and pay off a sizable debt that the family owes to a human smuggling organization in their home country, Telemundo reported.

In an interview with the news network, the girl’s grandfather, Domingo Caal, said that the family owed money to the “coyote’s,” or human smugglers, who are capable of taking all of the family’s possessions. “If they let him work, the girl won’t come back but at least the debt can be paid,” Caal said.

In the days following the death, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan stated that agents had revived the young girl twice before she was flown out to an emergency room.

“The agents involved are deeply affected and empathize with the father over the loss of his daughter,” the commissioner stated. “We cannot stress enough the dangers posed by traveling long distances, in crowded transportation, or in the natural elements through remote desert areas without food, water and other supplies. No one should risk injury, or even death, by crossing our border unlawfully.”

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.